Pierre Juneau

Pierre Juneau PC OC MSRC (* 17th October 1922 in Verdun , Montreal , Quebec ; † 21st February 2012 ) was a Canadian journalist , radio intendant and politicians , among others, the first CEO of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) , briefly was Minister of Communications between August and October 1975 and later President of CBC / Radio-Canada . According to him, founded in 1970, is Music Award Juno Award nominated.

Life

Broadcasting manager and promotion to CRTC chairman

Coming from a working-class family, Juneau studied first at the University of Montreal and later at the University of Paris , where he joined the later Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and with him, after his return to Montreal, founded the political journal Cité libre . During his studies he was a member of the Catholic youth movement Jeunesse Étudiante Chrétienne (JEC) and between 1947 and 1949 its representative for Canada at the Center for International Documentation and Information (CIDI) of the Catholic student organization International Young Catholic Students (IYCS).

In 1949 he became an employee of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), where he was initially French advisor to Commissioner Albert Trueman, who was responsible for francophone film directors and in particular for the Québec film company. In the 1950s he was assistant to the regional representative of the NFB in Québec, before successively becoming head of their international sales department, assistant to the head of the European office and finally secretary of the NFB.

In addition to his work at the NFB, Juneau was one of the founders of the Montreal International Film Festival in 1959 and also served as its president until 1968. In 1964 he became director of the French-language film production department of the NFB and, as such, also in 1966 Vice-Chairman of the Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG).

After the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) emerged from the BBG in 1968, Juneau became its first chairman and held this position until he was replaced by Harry J. Boyle in 1975. In this position he was the initiator of a number of regulations in the early 1970s , which set the percentage of radio and television productions as well as program and music broadcast times made in Canada. As a result, a local market for Canadian music was sought, especially for radio stations, which ultimately led to a boom in Canadian music production. In recognition of his personal merits, the Juno Award, which has been awarded since 1970, was named after him, and in 1971 he was honored with a special Juno Award as Man of the Year in the Canadian music industry.

For his long service to the Canadian media world, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1975 .

Communications Minister and President of CBC / Radio-Canada

On August 29, 1975, Juneau was appointed communications minister in Canada's 20th cabinet by his old friend Pierre Trudeau, who was now Prime Minister of Canada . Since he was not a member of the lower house at the time, however , he ran a by-election for a lower house mandate in the constituency of Montreal-Hochelaga , but was defeated by the candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada , Jacques Lavoie . Due to the constitutional provision that a cabinet minister must be a member of parliament or win a mandate shortly after his appointment, he resigned as communications minister just two months after his appointment on October 24, 1975.

Nevertheless, after being appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau, he took on leading positions in the Ministry of Communications, where he was first Undersecretary between 1975 and 1980 and then Deputy Minister until 1982.

After his resignation from government service he succeeded Albert Wesley Johnson as President of CBC / Radio Canada in 1982 , where he was due to his proximity to the Liberal Party of the previous Prime Minister Trudeau after the election victory of the Progressive Conservative Party of the new Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at the The 1984 general election was viewed hostile. Although in the following years, to fight against the government Mulroney came because of budget cuts and the reorganization of CBC, completed Juneau his seven-year tenure as a radio director and handed the office of CBC President 1989 William T. Armstrong , previously chief executive of the Roy Thomson Hall was . Despite the austerity constraints mentioned above, Juneau succeeded in introducing a new cable television system ( CBC Newsworld ) as well as asserting a 95 percent Canadian share in the program. He also promoted the domestic production of television films and television series.

After leaving CBC, he founded the World Radio and Television Council , a UNESCO sponsored non-governmental organization , and was also a lecturer in communications at the University of Montreal.

Juneau, who was also a member of the Royal Society of Canada , was also awarded honorary doctorates from York University , Ryerson University , Trent University and Université de Moncton .

Web links

• Pierre Juneau, Champion of Canadian Music Talent, Juno Awards Namesake, Dead at 89 . In: Billboard of February 22, 2012
• Pierre Juneau, former CRTC and CBC chief, dies. As CRTC's first chair, Juneau was passionate champion of Canadian content . In: CBC News of February 21, 2012
• Creator of Canadian content dies at 89 (February 21, 2012)
• Pierre Juneau, ex-CBC president, dies at 89 (February 21, 2012)
• Order of Canada